Chambers Chatter

A true Beaufort SC time capsule. Vietnam veteran and lifelong Beaufortonian Jody Henson joins Laura and Shae to share growing up in Pigeon Point, Laurel Bay memories with Pat Conroy, the legend of Land’s End Light, the Shack Drive-In scene, and what brought him back to the Lowcountry after service.If you love local history, Marine Corps stories, and Beaufort nostalgia, this episode is packed with names, places, and moments you’ll recognize — from crabbing days and bowling-alley jobs to helicopter door-gunner stories and community ties that never fade.📺 Watch next: Chambers Chatter Ep. 16🎧 Subscribe for new Beaufort-focused episodes📍 Recorded in Beaufort, South Carolina━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters00:00 Welcome + Jody’s intro00:36 Moving to Beaufort in ’62, Pigeon Point01:55 Crabbing, Breeze Theater, Buford High classmates03:56 Laurel Bay life + early Pat Conroy connection06:21 Hunting, fishing, Clarendon Plantation08:16 College detour, the draft, Shack Drive-In12:00 Weekend circuits, “virgin Bubble Up,” local hangouts15:04 Draft board appeal, reporting to service18:10 Land’s End Light experience19:44 Fort Jackson → Fort Gordon → Vietnam21:23 Door-gunner missions, mountain drops, coldest beer25:02 Chance reunion with former commander26:10 Service timeline + Citadel what-if28:02 Father’s WWII/Korea reflections29:18 Career with Dun & Bradstreet, return plans31:18 Buying the family home, long Beaufort ties33:06 Coming home, family back in Beaufort34:12 Remodeling, working from home, classmates35:40 Bowling-alley memories, community shout-outs36:48 Closing thanks━━━━━━━━━━━━━#BeaufortSC #Lowcountry #PatConroy #VietnamVeteran #LocalHistory #Podcast

In this episode of Chambers Chatter, hosts Laura Chambers Babalis and Shae Chambers Helms welcome Mike McFee to talk about Beaufort SC history, his 40-year career in real estate, and nearly two decades of service on Beaufort SC City Council.Mike McFee shares stories about growing up in Beaufort South Carolina, summers on Hunting Island, and his leadership in projects like Henry C. Chambers Park and the Boundary Street master plan. He also reflects on the importance of Beaufort SC public service, community involvement, and passing the Beaufort legacy to the next generation.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📌 Topics covered:Mike McFee Beaufort SC roots and family historyChildhood memories in Beaufort SC and Hunting IslandA career in Beaufort SC real estate and business18 years on Beaufort SC City Council and Mayor Pro Tem roleCivic projects: Henry C. Chambers Park & Boundary StreetInspiring public service in Beaufort South CarolinaPerforming arts and culture in the Lowcountry🎥 Watch now to hear Beaufort SC stories of history, politics, and community legacy with Mike McFee.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Introduction with Laura & Shae00:27 – Mike McFee’s Beaufort family roots01:12 – Summers on Hunting Island & lost beach houses02:39 – Childhood memories on The Point & Cohen’s Bakery04:43 – Military family life & settling in Beaufort05:50 – Starting a 40-year career in real estate07:30 – Community involvement from an early age08:47 – Entering public service in 200809:57 – Major projects: Henry C. Chambers Park & Boundary Street10:59 – Serving as Mayor Pro Tem and Beaufort leadership11:20 – Mike’s passion for performing arts & local theater13:24 – Encouraging the next generation of public servants18:39 – How to get involved in city council & commissions20:41 – Public engagement, streaming meetings & participation21:16 – What Mike wishes still existed in Beaufort22:46 – Historic Beaufort buildings that were lost24:03 – Closing thoughts & message to future leaders━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chambers Chatter podcastBeaufort SC historyMike McFee BeaufortBeaufort City CouncilBeaufort politicsLowcountry historyHunting Island storiesBeaufort community leadersBeaufort public serviceHenry C Chambers ParkBoundary Street BeaufortBeaufort performing artsBeaufort legacyBeaufort real estate historyBeaufort SC podcastBeaufort SC leadersBeaufort Lowcountry storiesChambers Chatter BeaufortBeaufort SC cultureBeaufort SC local government

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chambers Chatter dives into Beaufort SC history and politics with Edie Rodgers. From developing Royal Pines Country Club to serving on City Council and preserving the Secession House, Edie shares stories that shaped Lowcountry history. This conversation dives into:✅ The development of Royal Pines & Ladies Island communities✅ How Beaufort became a hub for military retirees✅ Edie’s passion for civic engagement and politics✅ Her role in preserving Beaufort’s historic treasures✅ Personal stories about hosting state leaders and a future presidentIf you love Beaufort history, Lowcountry culture, or stories of leadership and preservation, this episode is for you!🔔 Subscribe to Chambers Chatter for more Beaufort stories, history, and community conversations.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Welcome & Introduction to Edie Rogers00:49 – Moving to Beaufort & Early Family Life01:34 – Developing Royal Pines Country Club & Ladies Island03:20 – Building Golf Courses, Marina & Community Growth05:06 – First Steps into Politics & City Council Involvement08:08 – Winning a Seat on Beaufort City Council10:11 – Learning Through Civic Service & Challenges Faced11:21 – Running for South Carolina House of Representatives13:18 – Opening a Bookstore & Returning to Politics14:39 – Serving 3 Terms in the SC State House16:39 – Why Constituent Service Mattered Most20:12 – Closing Chapter of Political Career20:24 – Hosting Vice President George H.W. Bush in Beaufort22:21 – The Historic Secession House “Political Wall”24:44 – Stories from Hosting State & Local Leaders26:24 – Advice for Young People: Get Involved in Your Community28:16 – Closing Thoughts & Appreciation━━━━━━━━━━━━━━BeaufortSC, BeaufortHistory, ChambersChatter, Beaufort South Carolina politics, Edie Rodgers Beaufort, Royal Pines Beaufort SC, Secession House Beaufort, George HW Bush Beaufort visit, Beaufort SC city council, Beaufort SC civic leaders, Lowcountry history podcast, Beaufort SC preservation

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙️ Chambers Chatter Ep. 14 – From Seabrook Fields to Craven Street: Claude McLeod’s Lowcountry RootsIn this episode of Chambers Chatter, we sit down with Claude McLeod to explore his Lowcountry roots, his family’s farming legacy in Seabrook, South Carolina, and his memories of life on Craven Street in historic Beaufort, SC. From steam trains and tomato farming to land conservation and real estate, this episode captures a century of change in the Lowcountry.Watch as Claude shares what it was like growing up on a farm, living in the Secession House, and witnessing Beaufort's transformation from a tight-knit town to a bustling Lowcountry hub.👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more stories from Beaufort’s past and present.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Intro & welcome01:00 – Growing up in Seabrook03:30 – Post office & train memories06:00 – Life in downtown Beaufort08:00 – Small-town routines & community09:30 – The Breeze Theater & Bay Street11:00 – Hurricane Gracie hits13:00 – Farming in Beaufort County14:30 – Crops & seasonal operations17:00 – Shipping produce across the U.S.19:00 – Transition from rail to trucking21:00 – Ice house & packing logistics23:30 – Farming workforce & long days25:00 – Claude’s role in the family farm27:00 – Farming highs, lows, and droughts29:00 – Ending the farm after 100 years30:30 – Pine trees & land management32:00 – Bay Point Island & family land33:30 – Land development & county zoning35:00 – Conservation easement & passive park36:30 – Attempts to sell Seabrook land38:00 – The Secession House basement40:00 – Meeting Brenda & early dating42:00 – First date spots in Beaufort43:30 – Closing thoughts & gratitude━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📍 Recorded in Beaufort, SC

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Join us for Chambers Chatter Ep. 13 as we sit down with Anita Singleton Prather — also known as Aunt Pearlie Sue — to explore her powerful Gullah-Geechee heritage, her childhood in Beaufort, SC, and her impact as a faith-filled storyteller, educator, and cultural preservationist.Anita shares deep insights on growing up in the Sea Islands of South Carolina, the history of Gullah-Geechee people, her role in the civil rights movement, and how her voice helped preserve Gullah culture through performances, plays, and even the film *Forrest Gump*.📍 What you’ll learn in this episode:– Gullah-Geechee history in Beaufort, SC – Anita Singleton Prather’s legacy as Aunt Pearlie Sue – Faith and family traditions in the Sea Islands – The power of storytelling in African American culture – Behind the scenes of *Forrest Gump* in Beaufort – Founding Gullah Kinfolk and her fight for cultural preservation🎭 Discover the Gullah-Geechee experience from someone who has lived it, shared it, and continues to preserve it.🔔 Subscribe for more Beaufort stories, Gullah culture, and local legends.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 - Welcome to Chambers Chatter Ep. 1300:10 - Meet Anita Singleton Prather (Aunt Pearlie Sue)00:35 - Childhood memories growing up in Beaufort01:43 - Playing football, climbing trees, and Sunday school03:02 - Donuts, marbles, and church community traditions04:10 - Segregated beaches and childhood curiosity05:04 - Family history and ties to slavery and education06:47 - Grandfather’s school and farming legacy07:32 - Tuskegee education and civil rights influence08:04 - Boarding school and early education of her mother09:01 - Tragedy on the river and educational resilience10:01 - Grandma Madera and Washington Street memories11:15 - School integration and Robert Smalls legacy12:49 - From colored schools to community growth13:10 - Becoming Aunt Pearlie Sue and early church life14:02 - First African Baptist Church and its architecture15:20 - River baptisms and Zora Neale Hurston footage15:53 - Why Gullah needed its own ministry17:00 - Embracing cultural differences and storytelling18:18 - Founding the Gullah Kinfolk Family Ensemble19:03 - Writing plays and returning to Beaufort20:31 - Teaching, coaching, and classroom creativity21:27 - Sponsor break: Watkins Mechanical21:50 - Creating through ADHD and making learning fun23:10 - Rehearsals, family choir, and early setbacks24:10 - A one-time musical turns into a movement25:15 - Performing in Forrest Gump and meeting Hollywood26:34 - Founding her own group and the chicken dinner story28:14 - Popular demand for the chicken dinner monologue30:06 - Turning down a bad contract and trusting her gut31:27 - Meeting her entertainment attorney and producer33:08 - Claiming ownership and launching her vision34:33 - Fundraising through faith and family support35:52 - High-end production and video storytelling37:10 - Producing Gullah videos for kids and families38:08 - Writing the Gullah-Geechee play on the Revolution39:15 - The story of Ona Judge and George Washington41:05 - Ona’s escape, resistance, and strength42:13 - Research challenges and unknown history42:36 - South Carolina’s largest slaveholder revealed43:01 - New play premieres July 19th in Bluffton43:34 - Final message to future generations45:07 - Gratitude and closing remarks━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#gullahgeechee #AnitaSingletonPrather #AuntPearlieSue #beaufortsc #SeaIslands #GullahCulture #chamberschatter #SouthCarolinaHistory #BlackHistory #storytelling #civilrights #forrestgump

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Join us on Chambers Chatter Ep. 12 as we sit down with Robert “Gibbs” McDowell Jr., the author behind Drift One, to explore the real story of Driftwood — one of Beaufort’s most unforgettable local legends. From wild childhood memories and bowhunting adventures to World War II heroism, mystery, and folklore, this episode uncovers a life truly too big for one town.📚 Learn about the inspiration behind the book🎥 Hear about the upcoming film adaptation🌳 Discover Beaufort history, local culture, and Lowcountry loreWhether you're from Beaufort, love small-town legends, or just enjoy a good Southern story — this one's for you.🔔 Subscribe for more stories from the heart of the Lowcountry!━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Introduction & Meet Robert “Gibbs” McDowell Jr.00:28 – Growing Up in Beaufort & River Adventures01:10 – Bowhunting Beginnings and Childhood Mishaps02:11 – Hunting Across North America & Trick Shooting03:07 – Writing for Outdoor Magazines & TV Work03:50 – Introducing Driftwood: A Local Beaufort Legend05:27 – Driftwood’s War Story & PTSD Impacts06:56 – Life After War and Return to Beaufort08:31 – Finding Driftwood’s True Identity11:42 – City of Beaufort’s Plans for a Driftwood Memorial12:39 – Film Adaptation & Screenplay Progress13:34 – “Spirit of Driftwood” Moments While Writing14:12 – The Big Reveal: Driftwood’s Real Name15:52 – Historical Records Confirm His Story17:42 – Why Driftwood’s Story Matters18:30 – Voodoo, Dr. Buzzard, and Local Lore19:47 – The Gullah Culture & Racial Dynamics in Beaufort20:14 – Book Success & Community Impact21:07 – Sponsor Break – Watkins Mechanical21:29 – Vaulting Stories & Coaching the Next Generation23:38 – Island Preservation & Land Deals26:04 – Giving Back Through Conservation26:27 – Family Life & Personal Reflections26:41 – The Mysterious Light on Lands End Road27:41 – Deputy Ezra Brooks & Chasing the Light28:46 – Ghost Legends and Lowcountry Myths29:14 – The Power of Storytelling & Irish Roots30:03 – Neighborhood Mischief & Old Beaufort Memories31:35 – Possum Crabs & River Life Humor32:11 – Cold Camping Mishap & Classic Southern Humor33:29 – The Capers Island Cats & Outhouse Snake Prank35:09 – How Childhood in Beaufort Shaped Character36:01 – Old School Medicine & Survival37:29 – Hermitage Road Reunion & Community Roots38:12 – Change, Development, and Protecting Paradise39:11 – Beaufort vs. Charleston & Local Wisdom40:14 – Dog Loyalty: Suit’s Story41:28 – Chester the Dog & A Neighbor’s Final Moments42:14 – Beaufort’s Culture of Self-Reliance43:20 – The WWII Generation’s Influence44:18 – The Shrimp Business That Almost Made It Big45:47 – Legacy of Driftwood and What’s Next━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#BeaufortSC #DriftwoodLegend #ChambersChatter #LowcountryStories #SouthernFolklore #BeaufortHistory #DriftOneBook #RobertMcDowell #GibbsMcDowell #SCauthors #SmallTownLegends #LowcountryLife #VeteranStories

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 Chambers Chatter Ep. 11 – From Beaufort Roots to Bronze Stars: The Legacy of Skeet von HartenIn this heartfelt episode, we sit down with Skeet von Harten, a Beaufort native, Marine Corps veteran, and beloved civic leader. From his humble beginnings in Beaufort, South Carolina, to earning two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star, and a Purple Heart during his 20 years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Skeet shares lessons on leadership, integrity, and service.🎖️ Learn about Skeet’s experiences in Vietnam, life at The Citadel, and his time on Beaufort County Council. Hear how growing up in the Lowcountry shaped his values, and how he gave back to the community through organizations like the Rotary Club, Navy League, and the Beaufort Water Festival.If you love Beaufort history, military stories, and the importance of community service, this episode is a must-watch.👉 Watch now and be inspired by Skeet von Harten’s incredible journey of courage and commitment.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more stories that celebrate the heart of Beaufort.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Introduction to Episode 1100:35 – Meet Skeet von Harten01:10 – Life Growing Up in Beaufort, SC03:00 – Memories of a Small Town & River Life04:45 – Childhood Lessons from the Water06:30 – School Days and Local Landmarks07:50 – Path to The Citadel & Military Life09:00 – Joining the Marine Corps10:30 – Leadership Lessons from the Marines12:00 – Deployment to Vietnam14:00 – Combat Experience & Promotion to Major16:00 – Bronze Stars, Silver Star, and Purple Heart18:30 – How War Shaped His Character20:10 – Transition Back to Civilian Life in Beaufort21:00 – Giving Back Through Local Organizations22:30 – Leadership in the Beaufort Water Festival24:40 – Starting the Bed Race Tradition27:00 – Lessons in Volunteerism and Community Spirit28:20 – Serving on Beaufort County Council30:00 – The Responsibility of Public Service32:15 – Advice for Future Leaders34:15 – The True Meaning of Service35:30 – Final Reflections from Skeet36:10 – Closing Thoughts and Thanks━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#SkeetVonHarten #BeaufortSC #MarineCorpsVeteran #VietnamWar #BronzeStar #SilverStar #ChambersChatter #BeaufortHistory #CommunityLeadership #VeteranStories #SouthCarolinaPodcast #BeaufortPodcast

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎾 Chambers Chatter Ep. 10 – Giving Back Through Tennis: Larry’s Mission 🎾In this episode of Chambers Chatter, we highlight Larry Sheper, a lifelong tennis coach from Beaufort SC who is known for giving back through tennis. Larry’s mission has impacted hundreds of kids through his free tennis clinics, nonprofit work, and dedication to the Beaufort community.As the founder of Sheperd Tennis and Learning Academy and the One Love Tennis program, Larry shares his inspiring journey from local player to tennis champion, his work as a tennis mentor, and his legacy of community outreach. His passion for youth tennis has helped shape the lives of players from age 2 to 93.If you're interested in tennis stories, community leadership, or supporting local heroes, this episode is a must-watch.📍 Based in Beaufort, SC📞 Contact: 843-441-2935🏫 Learn more: Sheperd Tennis and Learning Academy✅ Topics in this video:Giving back through tennisTennis coach Larry SheperYouth tennis in Beaufort SCOne Love Tennis programTennis champion storyFree tennis clinicTennis mentor impactCommunity outreach through sports━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Welcome to Episode 10 of Chambers Chatter00:11 – Meet Larry Sheper: Beaufort’s Tennis Icon00:34 – Growing Up in Beaufort & Finding Tennis01:08 – From High School to College Tennis at Grambling State01:21 – Competing on the Satellite Tour01:33 – Returning Home & Becoming a Certified Tennis Instructor01:56 – Coaching at Green View Park & Benedict College02:18 – Training at the International Tennis Academy in Miami02:30 – Returning to Beaufort to Give Back Through Tennis02:44 – A Family Legacy: Generations of Tennis Players03:17 – Inspired by His Uncle’s Opportunity04:02 – Starting Tennis at 13 & Staying Injury-Free04:23 – Daily Clinics and Community Engagement04:45 – Free Saturday Clinics: Snacks, Gear, and Mentorship05:21 – Reaching All Skill Levels & Ages05:43 – “Everybody is Somebody” – The One Love Tennis Philosophy05:55 – Childhood Memories Growing Up in Beaufort06:39 – Gullah Festival & Community Life07:11 – Serving Beyond Tennis: Feeding the Homeless, Supporting Veterans07:59 – Summer Camps Across the Lowcountry08:34 – Tennis for Toddlers: Starting Young08:45 – Still Competing: 28 National Clay Court Titles09:29 – International Play: Representing Beaufort in Mexico City10:02 – Coaching at Beaufort Academy: 7 State Championships11:06 – A Shoutout to Sponsor: Watkins Mechanical11:18 – Behind the Scenes: Volunteers and Board Support11:42 – Hosting the Shepherd’s Tennis Out-of-School Tournament12:15 – How to Volunteer or Donate to Support the Mission12:47 – Coaching Students from Age 2 to 9313:41 – Remembering a Longtime Student and Local Legend14:28 – Family Support & Daughter’s Tennis Journey15:03 – His Mother’s Unique Way of Supporting Him15:38 – Life Lessons After a Tough Loss16:46 – Winning His First Water Festival Tournament17:10 – Seeing Arthur Ashe & the Inspiration to Teach18:04 – Meeting Althea Gibson & a Call to Serve the Community18:49 – Earning Coaching Certification & Starting the Mission19:13 – Facing Doubt and Choosing Tennis Over Baseball20:32 – Full Circle: Proving the Doubters Wrong20:56 – 20 Water Festival Wins & Legacy in Beaufort21:08 – Final Thoughts on Giving Back & Staying Local21:19 – How to Get Involved with the Sheperd Tennis and Learning Academy21:34 – Closing Thoughts & Thank You to Larry Sheper

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━In Chambers Chatter Ep. 9 – Connie Hipp: Ghost Tours, Leadership & Beaufort Legacy, we sit down with one of Beaufort’s most impactful community leaders. Connie Hip shares her Beaufort legacy through decades of leadership, service, and storytelling — including her iconic 28 years leading ghost tours through the historic streets of the Lowcountry.From her childhood in Port Royal to empowering women through United Way and Leadership Beaufort, Connie reflects on the people, moments, and places that shaped her journey. This episode is packed with heart, humor, and inspiration from a woman who helped shape the soul of Beaufort.🎙️ Don’t miss this special episode of Chambers Chatter honoring local stories, service, and strong women.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Welcome & Guest Introduction00:27 – Connie’s Move to Beaufort in 195801:26 – Growing Up in Port Royal & Early School Days02:20 – Port Royal’s Evolution Over the Years03:28 – Teen Years, Local Beaches & Personal Loss04:46 – Early Career & Return to Beaufort06:01 – Grassroots Community Organizing in the 70s07:09 – Personal Story That Fueled Domestic Violence Advocacy08:26 – KAPPA, Haunted Houses & Community Fundraisers09:22 – Launching the Beaufort Ghost Tours10:27 – Memorable Carriage Tour Moments & Ghost Stories12:05 – Teaching the Next Generation of Tour Guides13:11 – Toastmasters & Finding Her Voice15:46 – Transitioning from Tours to Leadership Programs16:31 – The Birth & Growth of Leadership Beaufort18:23 – Over 900 Graduates & Building Local Change Agents19:49 – Inspiring Community Leaders & Even Two Weddings21:08 – Importance of Capturing Community Stories22:15 – Reflection on Beaufort’s Changes & Needs23:33 – Missing Community Spaces Like Movie Theaters24:40 – Water Festival, Bandshell & Beaufort Traditions26:49 – College Journey Through USCB & USC Aiken28:43 – Technical Training & Construction Career29:28 – Work with United Way & Becoming Woman of the Year30:56 – Mimi’s Closet, Backpacks & Education Support31:39 – Supporting Non-Traditional Female Students33:43 – Power of the Purse & Women United Events34:49 – Getting the Next Generation Involved36:41 – How to Start Helping Locally38:12 – Encouraging Newcomers to Find Their Place40:12 – Small Efforts Creating Big Change40:47 – Final Thoughts & Community Gratitude━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#ConnieHip #ChambersChatter #BeaufortSC #GhostTours #LeadershipBeaufort #BeaufortLegacy #CommunityLeaders #LowcountryStories #PortRoyalHistory #WomenWhoLead

Thank You to Our Sponsor – Watkins Mechanical!A huge thank you to Watkins Mechanical for sponsoring this episode! If you're in need of top-quality HVAC services in the Beaufort area, look no further. Whether it’s repairs, maintenance, or a brand-new system, their expert team has you covered.📞 Call them at (843) 476-6970🌐 Visit their website: watkinsmechanical.net━━━━━━━━━━━━━━In Chambers Chatter Ep. 8, we sit down with the legendary Marlena Smalls, known for her incredible role in the Hallelujah Singers, as the founder of the Gullah Festival, and for her unforgettable part in the movie Forrest Gump. Marlena takes us on a moving music journey, sharing her life story, the rich traditions of Gullah culture, and behind-the-scenes Forrest Gump stories.We dive into how Marlena built the Hallelujah Singers into a group that celebrates Gullah music and history, how the Gullah Festival became a cultural landmark, and how her music journey took her from the Lowcountry to the world stage. Plus, Marlena opens up about her time on the set of Forrest Gump and how it shaped her path.Tune in for laughter, wisdom, and a celebration of culture and resilience.👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring episodes!━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Chapters:00:00 – Intro & Welcome00:23 – Marlena’s South Carolina roots01:56 – Moving to St. Helena Island04:06 – Rebirth in Beaufort, SC06:40 – Childhood & early challenges08:20 – Community support in Beaufort10:00 – Early jobs & life transitions12:48 – Singing career beginnings14:43 – Touring in Europe & finding her voice16:11 – Rise as a top South Carolina artist18:04 – Governor’s Mansion performance20:00 – Starting the Hallelujah Singers24:00 – Founding the Gullah Festival26:09 – Sharing Gullah culture globally29:42 – Taking Gullah to Japan32:26 – Vision for the Gullah Festival’s future34:32 – Acting in Forrest Gump as Bubba’s mama36:48 – Love for live performance & local shows38:09 – Community message & closing hymn━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#MarlenaSmalls #GullahFestival #musicjourney #ForrestGumpStories #HallelujahSingers #ChambersChatter